''Ephydra hians'', commonly known as the alkali fly, is a species of fly in the family

Ephydridae Ephydridae (shore flies, sometimes brine flies) is a family of insects in the order Fly, Diptera. Shore flies are tiny flies that can be found near seashores or at smaller inland waters, such as ponds. About 2,000 species have been described worl ...

, the brine flies.

Description

The body of the adult is dark brown, and roughly in length. The

thorax The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...

reflects a metallic greenish or bluish color, and the wings are smokey brown. The

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

contains a membranous

cephalic A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may no ...

area, and the rest of the body is divided into 3 thoracic segments and 8 abdominal segments.

Distribution and habitat

This species is found mostly in the northwestern

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, as well as in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. The preferred habitat is in the

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning "the depths". ...

littoral The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely i ...

zone, in habitats containing large amounts of

tufa Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitation (chemistry), precipitate out of water in ambient temperature, unheated rivers or lakes. hot spring, Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less ...

(a porous limestone deposit).

Mono Lake Mono Lake ( ) is a Salt lake, saline soda lake in Mono County, California, formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in an endorheic basin. The lack of an outlet causes Hypersaline lake, high levels of salts to accumulate in the lake ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

has a large population of this species.

Behavior and ecology

Throughout the summertime, the flies, which live for 3 to 5 days, feed and lay eggs under the surface of the water. Upon hatching, the larvae roam underwater, feeding on

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...

and bacteria. They remain under the water until they develop into adults, acquiring oxygen supplied by

photosynthesis Photosynthesis ( ) is a system of biological processes by which photosynthetic organisms, such as most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, convert light energy, typically from sunlight, into the chemical energy necessary to fuel their metabo ...

of the algae. Once in the adult stage, the flies are able to walk upon and beneath the water, feeding on algae. They are able to submerge themselves to depths of up to 24 feet (7.3 m) thanks to short, waxy

hairs Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fin ...

on their body, which trap a bubble of air around their bodies. This bubble is not consumed by the fly as it clambers down submerged rocks, rather its surface area is used to transpire gasses with the lakewater. In this way, the diving flies can remain submerged for up to 15 minutes in their search for algae or secluded areas for egg-laying. The hypersaline water of their habitat is especially wet, requiring the fly to have extra hair and special waxes to maintain this air bubble. When diving, a force equivalent to roughly 18 times the body weight of the fly is required to break through the

surface tension Surface tension is the tendency of liquid surfaces at rest to shrink into the minimum surface area possible. Surface tension (physics), tension is what allows objects with a higher density than water such as razor blades and insects (e.g. Ge ...

of the water. ''Ephydra hians'' are susceptible to changes in temperature. When the temperature gets colder, their life span prolongs and the individual stages of development take longer. Adult flies do not lay eggs in the winter months due to the inability to undergo adequate development, thus creating a pause in reproduction. These flies also don't surpass a depth of roughly 15 meters due to the frigid temperatures. The favorable temperatures in spring and autumn are most suitable for growth.

As food for humans

The

Kucadikadi The Kucadɨkadɨ are a band of Eastern Mono Northern Paiute people who live near Mono Lake in Mono County, California. They are the southernmost band of Northern Paiute.Fowler and Liljeblad 437Arkush, Brooke S"Historic Northern Paiute Winter House ...

, a band of

Northern Paiute people Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, ...

, historically used the

pupa A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages th ...

e of this fly as a source of protein and fat. The name "Kucadikadi" means "eaters of the brine fly pupae". Year-round, but particularly in the summer, approximately 200 Kucadikadi harvested the pupae at Mono Lake. The pupae can be used to make stew after being dried. Considered a delicacy, the Kucadikadi also traded the pupae with others in the region.

References

External links

Map showing distribution in the United States
(indicated by black squares) {{Taxonbar, from=Q3055715 Ephydridae Insects described in 1830 Taxa named by Thomas Say Diptera of North America